Selling Sleep

This week we are following up on the data we presented in our last report. Above you will see the top four actions consumers take to assist their sleep routine. You will also see how men and women look at those actions very differently. On all four fronts, women are more likely to take action than are men. Men are more likely to think they can sleep anywhere on anything, bedding observers note. But women are clearly looking for ways to help them get a better night of sleep. Most of these differences are substantial. More than half of women use comfortable pillows to improve their sleep, while fewer than half of men do so. Women appreciate the value of comfortable bedding by 16% percentage points more than men. By a smaller margin, women are interested in keeping the bedroom cool for sleep.

Applying the Findings

Realizing that women are our primary customers, we can use this data to speak directly to our primary customers' needs. Mattress retailers should regularly include pillows and bedding in their advertising. (After, of course, they add those products to their sales floors, if they haven't done so already.) Since women favor pillows as sleep aids, a logical way to help them get a better night's sleep is to talk about the importance of pillows. Regular pillow replacement is a good idea, as pillows can accumulate unpleasant things like dead dust mites, etc., and yucky pillows can inhibit a good night of sleep. And retail sales associates can help their customers by noting that almost four in 10 consumers keep their bedrooms cool to promote good sleep. That's a good sleep tip to share with all customers.